Chapter 171 - 163: A Tiger Pounces on Its Prey
Chapter 171: Chapter 163: A Tiger Pounces on Its Prey
"Don’t say any more. Please, Young Master, don’t." The Jin guard tried to cut him off, unable to bear seeing him in such pain.
Meng Nan shook his head with a bitter smile. "I’m fine." This was the first time since that year he was seven that he had spoken of this painful memory.
A memory he didn’t even dare to contemplate.
He thought he’d never be able to tell a soul. He hadn’t expected that after letting it all out today, it wasn’t as difficult as he’d imagined.
"Back then... if I hadn’t run, if only I hadn’t run, what would the outcome have been? Would my big brother have survived?"
Bai Zhi took Meng Nan’s trembling hand in hers, her clear eyes filled with heartache. "Brother Meng, it wasn’t your fault. A tragedy like that was just an accident; it had nothing to do with you. You don’t have to blame yourself. If I were your big brother, I would have made the same choice. If the roles were reversed, you would have done the same. An older brother protecting a younger one is human instinct. And choosing to run away out of fear? That’s also a human instinct. Besides, you were only seven."
’Is that so? Is fleeing out of fear really a human instinct? Is it excusable to run away just because I was young?’
His parents had told him the same, and he had always used that reasoning to console himself.
But now, today, he had just learned that when Hu Feng faced the ferocious tiger, he hadn’t retreated a single step, bravely choosing to fight it. Even the seemingly weak Bai Zhi hadn’t backed down, using what little strength she had to help Hu Feng.
’So, it isn’t some human instinct at all. It’s a coward’s instinct. I’m a coward. A natural-born coward.’
"Let’s go." Seeing he was still incredibly down, Bai Zhi didn’t know what else to say. Some things can’t be explained away with a sentence or two, nor can they be understood in a day or two.
The Jin guard said, "What happened to Hu Feng? I’ll go up ahead and look for him." With that, the Jin guard hurried off.
Bai Zhi asked Meng Nan, "Are you tired? Why don’t I carry it for a while?"
Meng Nan shook his head. "I’m not tired. I’m a man. How could I let a girl like you do this kind of work?"
She nodded and fell silent. The atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive. Just as she was wracking her brain for something to say to break the tension, there was a sudden CRACK of snapping branches from behind, followed by the low growl of a wild beast.
They both whipped their heads around and saw the White striped Tiger that had just fled charging straight for them.
’My god—it actually came back.’
’Or maybe it never ran far at all, and was just waiting for them to be separated from the others.’
’It was just like on the nature documentaries she’d watched: tigers could lie in ambush near their prey for ages, waiting for the perfect moment to land a killing blow.’
Meng Nan seemed to be scared stiff, standing rooted to the spot, unable to move. Bai Zhi snatched the Purple Silk Vine from his shoulder, grabbed his hand, and took off. "What are you standing there for? Run!"
Meng Nan finally snapped out of it and began to sprint after Bai Zhi. But unfortunately, he hadn’t taken more than a few steps before his foot caught on a branch. He pitched forward, dragging Bai Zhi down with him.
The fall gave the White striped Tiger the perfect opportunity to strike. It let out a furious roar and, filled with the thrill of the hunt and the sweet taste of revenge, lunged viciously at them.
The White striped Tiger had been injured earlier, and its stamina was low. This time, its lunge wasn’t as ferocious as before. Bai Zhi grabbed Meng Nan and, with a powerful yank, pulled him over to her side.